The Art of Reading More Effectively and Efficiently

In 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferris brags that he is a judo champion because he found a loophole in the judging criteria. By forcing people out of bounds 3 times in a match, he could disqualify them and win by default. Ok, sure. Those are the rules, and he won. But in any way that really matters, he was not a judo champion.

Further, this guy’s association with Tim Ferris (see his Youtube) is an automatic disqualification in my book.

There are many things that can be optimized, but I don't think reading is one of them. I think being a heavy reader makes you better equipped to breeze through poor writing, for instance. It's just a basic form of deep work.

Interesting, "holding a title" vs "being a champion", it's like "passing an exam" vs "learning".

If I recall correctly I think Ali makes this distinction on his videos when he speaks about dedicating time to pass the exam or learning as much as you can from a topic, are two different issues, sadly.

I'd disqualify neither of them, it's just about defining what's the goal.

I like the idea of "synoptic" reading to learn about a concrete topic. It makes sense when different works offer different versions of what happens and why.

But it seems weird to do it with fiction. If I'm reading fiction, I want to get into the world created by the author. I think repeatedly stepping in and out to compare it to other works, or analyze its construction, or think about a GoodReads review, all of that is going to impede that process. So I usually just get into the book's world, finish it, and then step back for 30 minutes a day or two later and write a few paragraphs of my thoughts.

This little essay often includes connections to other books, and articulating thoughts on a book right after reading it contributes a ton to my appreciation and understanding. It makes it a lot easier to pitch the book to somebody else, for example (easier than saying "it's...it's just so good, just read it"). And for me this process works best if I refrain from doing it too consciously during the reading process. The experience of immersing your unconscious in something is pretty unique.

That said, I don't finish every book I start, and I don't write comments unless I feel like there's something to work out. But there's usually something to work out!

Unrelated pedantic comment: TFA attributes this quote to Edgar Allan Poe

> Marking a book is literally an experience of your differences or agreements with the author. It is the highest respect you can pay him.

But it doesn't sound like him, and the internet suggests it's actually a quote from this other Adler guy also referenced in TFA?

The fact that Ferris is completely transparent about how he won tells me that he probably doesn’t actually think of himself as a war machine.

You are also underestimating Judo here, too. It’s all about grappling and throws, positioning. Maybe keep that in mind a little bit when you say he won by forcing his opponent out of bounds. It’s not a street fight.